Industry Pro

In this edition, we delve into the passionate efforts of America's playwrights to save the Tony Awards, the rebound of orchestras with growing audience numbers. We also explore the success of the 2022-2023 Broadway season, recent appointments and collaborations within the theater community.

The Tony Awards are less than two weeks away and there are still many unanswered questions. The most important is likely—who is going to win? That is of course always an unanswered question until the names are announced, but usually at least one of the major races has a clear-cut favorite.

The nominations for the 12th Annual Off Broadway Alliance Awards are announced, recognizing outstanding productions such as 'FAT HAM,' 'TITANIQUE,' and 'MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG.' The winners of the 2023 Outer Critics Circle Awards and the Drama League Awards are revealed, honoring exceptional performances on and off Broadway.

Last night, BroadwayWorld celebrated its 20th anniversary with a concert at Sony Hall. The show, which benefited Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, took over a year to plan.

This week, we take a look at recovery across the creative sector in an article from TRG Arts, Dance Magazine looks at how the dance industry has changed, and a new labor agreement between the Actors Union in the UK and producers highlights some of the major shifts in the industry across the globe.

The industry has been consumed with Tony chaos. And the latest rumor on that front is that there are some still trying to appeal to the WGA, but awards will be given out on June 11 no matter. That might change by the time you read this and it is also worth noting that it is unimportant to the vast majority of people currently enjoying Broadway.

The Theatre Communications Group (TCG) has selected Chicago, IL as the location for its 2024 National Conference, which will be hosted by the League of Chicago Theatres. Meanwhile, the WGA strike, turmoil at regional theaters continues, and Britain gets a King who loves the arts.

Last week there were several first-time Tony nominees. One of them was KIMBERLY AKIMBO helmer Jessica Stone, an actress-turned-director who made her Broadway directorial debut with the acclaimed musical, which overall picked up eight Tony nominations.

MFA programs in performing arts face challenges in adapting. Tony eligibility decisions and Drama League nominations revealed. 2023 Tony Awards Live Pre-Show to be streamed for free on Pluto TV. Easter Bonnet Competition raises over $3.6 million for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Read on for more.

Tomorrow is the big day—the Tony nominations. That means last week was the last eligibility decisions. Let’s peek behind the curtain at some of the main things we learned last week.

The Performing Artist Tax Parity Act reintroduced provides tax relief for artists. AMC partners with Black Theatre Coalition to support diversity. Broadway struggles with ticket resellers, but official ticket sellers like Telecharge, Ticketmaster, and Broadway Direct help customers find direct box office tickets.

Last week, my friend Michelle, inspired by my story on the talent of Alli Mauzey, went to buy tickets to KIMBERLY AKIMBO. She went to SeatGeek. Why? Because the last time she went to a show, it was FUNNY GIRL, and I told her SeatGeek was the box office, so she assumed that was true for all Broadway theaters.

Actors' Equity Association and the Broadway League have come to an agreement on touring contracts. In addition, President Biden appointed a number of high-profile artists to the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. Furthermore, a recent ruling on Tony eligibility has raised questions about Tony nominators and nonbinary performers.

When last week's Tony eligibility decisions were announced, there was nothing terribly surprising in the announcements themselves. But there were some interesting tidbits not announced. First, BroadwayWorld has confirmed that DANCIN' standout Kolton Krouse, who is nonbinary, will compete in the Featured Actor in a Musical category. Additionally, although SHUCKED was not dealt with this eligibility meeting, BroadwayWorld has also confirmed that Alex Newell, who identifies as gender nonconforming and plays a woman in SHUCKED, has also requested to be considered in that category.

SHUCKED, a musical that debuted in Utah, has raised questions about the use of non-profit venues for regional tryouts, which allow producers to develop shows with less media attention and at lower costs.

When SHUCKED opened on Broadway last week, it marked the first time a musical that tried out in Utah made it to the big time. We hear a lot about the more mainstream regional tryout venues—La Jolla Playhouse, the Old Globe, 5th Avenue Theatre—but very few producers utilize lesser-known non-profits to try out their shows.

AEA forms PAC to support members. Biden admin mulls higher visa fees for international artists. Playwright Sarah Mantell wins Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for 'Futurity'. Lucille Lortel Theatre expands, buys building in Chelsea for new works; Caridad Svich and Michael Heitzman named Artistic Directors.

Last month, when the Lucille Lortel Theatre announced the purchase of a new building in Chelsea, there was some surprise. What caught some off-guard is that the Lortel also announced new artistic leaders focusing on the development of new works.

Governmental funding shifts continue around the globe as governments reveal their latest budget proposals - often with some form of a decrease of support for the creative economy as these countries wind down the support they offered at the height of the pandemic.

While the UK grapples with unruly audiences (not an issue unique to the West End by any means), one critic makes the case that the way we are discussing unruly audiences doesn’t have the best interest of the art form in mind - that it gives it a sense of snobbishness that doesn’t invite more audiences in to enjoy a show.

This time of year, most know the most important people in the industry are sadly not anyone putting on a show, but rather the Tony nominators. Usually, this is the time that many selected nominators start dropping out, typically because of involvement in an eligible production or failure to see all eligible productions. This season, we’ve so far had very few recusals, so as of now there is a pretty full slate.

Dance news, lawsuits, and J.J. Abrams is coming to the stage all featured in this week's newsletter, along with a surprisingly strong report on the state of the creative economy in California. If California is any indication, there is reason for hope even as the bounceback is slower in other parts of the country as we re-emerge from the pandemic.

Theater is often focused on the young. One would think this is only true on the stage—actors and appearance receive the bulk of attention. But behind-the-scenes it is that way too. With a few exceptions for established writers like Tom Stoppard, emerging writers are given way more attention than older ones.

Theater fans are used to seeing multiple shows with the same name. We all know about the dueling WILD PARTYs. Yet the producer of ANNE OF GREEN GABLES: A NEW MUSICAL has felt the need to go to court to ask the court to declare the show legally entitled to keep its name.

A24 is entering the live theatre realm - the revered production and distribution company has acquired the Cherry Lane Theater. We’ve long seen media companies make their way toward Broadway, but A24 entering the off-Broadway space comes after Audible successfully did so a few seasons ago.